Trump says likely to meet Kim in Jan or Feb

WASHINGTON US President Donald Trump said on Saturday he hoped to organise a second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un perhaps as soon as January or February.

Trump told reporters that “three sites” were in consideration for the meeting, a follow-up to their historic summit in Singapore in June.

When asked about a future meeting, Trump said: “I think we’re going to do one fairly (soon) – into January, February, I think.”

When asked on Saturday if he would ever host Kim in the United States, the Republican president replied: “At some point, yeah.” In June, Trump and Kim opened up dialogue on denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula after months of trading military threats and pointed barbs. The two leaders signed a vaguely worded document on denuclearisation of the peninsula, but progress since has stalled as Washington and Pyongyang spar over the meaning of the document.

North Korea has taken few concrete steps to abandon its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was due to meet with a top North Korean official in early November, but the meeting was abruptly put off, with North Korea insisting that Washington ease sanctions.

On Friday, Trump discussed the situation with South Korean President Moon Jae-in on the sidelines of the G20 summit.

The pair “reaffirmed their commitment to achieve the final, fully verified denuclearisation” of North Korea, Trump’s spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said.